The Cheesecake Factory’s menu is like a mini-novel, and sometimes it can be overwhelming to choose from their seemingly never-ending list of cheesecakes. Although I will sometimes venture out and try out new flavors, I always seem to go back to the Oreo cheesecake. You just can’t go wrong with it. The simple combination of crunchy Oreo cookies against the sweet, cream cheese goodness is unbeatable. Alas, cheesecake is a time-consuming and not very portable dessert, i.e. not good for bake sales or sharing. But what if I told you you could create this decadent treat in the form of a cookie. Enticed yet? These soft, chewy cookies taste just like cheesecake and are rolled in Oreo crumbs. A cookie rolled in cookies. What’s not to love?With love, Erica

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and well-combined.3. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix until the ingredients are well-combined. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.4. Place the Oreo cookie crumbs in a small bowl. Scoop the cookies into about 1½ to 2″ balls and then roll in the cookie crumbs. Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the tops are slightly puffed.5. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Milk’s favorite cookie, in cupcake form. These cupcakes are the best chocolate cupcake recipe I’ve ever made, with a whole oreo cookie baked into the bottom, all topped off with a swirl of buttercream frosting that tastes just like my favorite cookies n’ creme ice cream. The frosting was so delicious (my go-to buttercream recipe with cookie crumbs in it), I did could have eaten half of it with a spoon! Plus, the oreo surprise in the bottom is so much fun (because who doesn’t love oreos?). The cookie stays firm and crunchy, which makes it interesting to eat against the soft, moist cake, but it gives the whole thing a really lovely crunch.
With love,
Erica

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Twist Oreos in half and set aside the extra cookies for later. Place the side with cream filling in the bottom of each cupcake liner, cream-side facing up.

Place chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl and pour the hot coffee over the mixture. Whisk until smooth and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, 20-30 minutes.

Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, 17-20 minutes. Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

You all know about my slightly insane love for cinnamon. Nothing beats a warm, buttery cinnamon bun for breakfast — but since the recipe usually calls for a yeasted dough, they take overnight planning to make, which a little too much hassle for all of us busy people with a weekday cinnamon craving! These muffins are big, buttery, and full of fragrant, ground cinnamon, the perfect substitute for traditional yeasted buns. When they take only a half an hour from start to finish, why not treat your family to a cinnamon-filled weekday breakfast sometimes? Oh, and nothing beats how delicious your kitchen will smell with these heavenly muffins baking in the oven.With love,Erica

Japanese strawberry shortcake is nothing like the strawberry shortcake you may have sampled in America (sweet biscuits topped with strawberries and whipped cream). Although I love the American version (which I will hopefully write about sometime soon!), Japanese strawberry shortcake will always hold a place in my heart. It is a moist, light, airy, not overly sweet sponge cake topped with layers of billowy sweet whipped cream frosting and filled with succulent, red strawberries. In Japan these cakes are most popular around Christmastime due to their holiday coloring; however, with all of the ripe, beautiful strawberries that springtime gives us, I think spring is the perfect time to make this light, succulent dessert.With love,Erica

Sponge Cake1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch circular cake pan and lightly dust with flour.2. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.3. Add the egg yolks to the egg white mixture, and gently whisk until the yolks are incorporated.4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour (in that order) to the batter and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Fold in the melted butter until it is well combined.5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, and get rid of any air bubbles in the batter by dropping the pan on a counter once or twice. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Run a blade around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove.To make the Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting:1. Put the cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water and let stand for 5 minutes (do not stir). Place the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon just until the gelatin dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool to room temperature.2.In a mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat until slightly thickened. Then, while beating slowly, gradually pour the gelatin into the whipped cream mixture. Then whip the mixture at high speed until stiff.To make the Simple Syrup:1. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water. Bring the water to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Assembling the Cake1. Reserve 6 to 1o strawberries for decorating the cake. Slice the remaining strawberries into thin slices (about 4 slices per strawberry).2. Slice the sponge cake horizontally into 2 layers.3. Place one sponge layer cut-side up on a cake board or serving plate and lightly crush the surface with the simple syrup. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the cake layer and arrange the strawberry slices over the surface. Spread an additional layer of whipped cream over the strawberries. Brush the cut-side of the second layer with the simple syrup and place it over the first layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Decorate as desired and garnish with the reserved strawberries.

I have to be honest, the task of making my own croissants from scratch was intimidating at first; however, once I got immersed in the challenge, not only was it fun, but the process was much more fool-proof than I expected. Plus, the finished product was so worth it — I’ve never experienced anything quite like pulling these flaky, light pastries out of a warm oven, with their luxurious buttery aroma wafting around my kitchen. And they tasted that much better knowing that I made them with my own hands. These croissants were magically delicious. They had a soft, delicate, pillowy interior with a crisp, buttery, outer layer that shattered upon being bitten into. So have no fear, I will walk you through step-by-step and on making these melt-in-your mouth croissants at home. With love,Erica

Croissants

Adapted from Best of Fine Cooking: Breads

Ingredients

For the dough:

4 cups all purpose flour (plus more for rolling)

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons milk (I ran out of milk, so I used almond milk)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)

1 tablespoon + 1 scant teaspoon instant yeast

2 1/4 teaspoon salt

Butter Layer:

1 1/4 cups cold, unsalted butter

Egg wash:

1 egg

Day 1

Combine all of the dough ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Mix on low speed for 3 minutes, and medium speed for an additional 3 minutes.

Place the dough on a lightly floured plate, wrap well in plastic, and refrigerate overnight

Day 2

Cut the cold butter lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slabs (about 3 slabs per stick) and arrange the pieces on a sheet of parchment paper to form a 6×6 inch square.

Top with another sheet of parchment and pound the butter with even strokes with a rolling pin.

As the pieces begin to stick together, use more force and roll it into a 7.5×7.5 inch square.

Trim the edges off and pound them into the center of the square.

Refrigerate while you roll out the dough.

Unwrap the dough and lay it on a lightly floured surface.

Roll it into a 10.5 inch square.

Take the butter square out of the fridge and unwrap and place it on the dough so that the points of the butter square are centered along the sides of the dough square.

Fold the flaps of dough over the butter and press the edges together to completely seal the butter inside the dough.

Lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough, and roll it into an 8×24 inch rectangle, focusing on lengthening rather than widening.

Pick up one short end of the dough and fold it over the dough, leaving one third of the dough exposed, and roll it over once more (fold the dough into thirds)

Freeze for 20 minutes.

Repeat the rolling and folding process (steps 10-12) 2 more times.

Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3

Unwrap and lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough.

Roll the dough into a long and narrow strip (8×44 inches) *hang in there! its a great arm workout!

After you have finished rolling, check to make sure that there is enough excess dough on both ends to allow you to trim the ends straight and allow for the remaining strip of dough to be 40 inches long.

Lay a tape measure lengthwise along your dough. On one side, mark the dough in 5 inch intervals. On the other side, mark the dough at 2.5 inch intervals. Make diagonal cuts by positioning a ruler at the top corner and the first bottom mark (2.5″ side). With a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough diagonally along these lines to form 15 triangles.

Shape the croissants by making a 1/2 inch notch in the center of the short side of each triangle (this gives them a crescent shape). Hold the dough and gently elongate it without squeezing or compressing. Lay the croissant on the counter with the notched side closest to you and roll the dough away from you toward the pointed end. Flare your hands outward as you roll to make the “legs” longer.

Bend the two “legs” toward each other in a crescent shape and place on a baking sheet (I recommend around 5-7 croissants per sheet).

Brush the croissants with egg wash (place leftover egg wash in the fridge to use later)

Proof the croissants for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (Or proof them overnight in the fridge, and let them come to room temperature for about an hour before baking in the morning)

Brush them once more with egg wash.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway, until they have a nice golden brown color and darkened edges.

Is there anything more perfect to welcome spring than the refreshing taste of plump blueberries and fragrant lemon zest? I showcased these big, juicy blueberries, in a moist, rich, tart lemon-y muffin.
I love putting Greek yogurt in my muffin recipes because it gives richness, tang, and moisture to the crumb without being heavy (it is important to use Greek yogurt because it really helps the muffins retain their moisture). In addition to giving the muffins an addition depth of tang and richness, Greek yogurt makes them lower in fat, so they won’t weigh you down during all of your fun, springtime activities. I shared these with some friends at school, and they all couldn’t believe that they were healthy!
I love to enjoy one of these sweet little muffins alongside my lunchtime salad instead of a slice of bread. Delicious.
With love,
Erica

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Stir in blueberries and mix well.
3. Whisk together the eggs, oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest in a mixing bowl.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon into 12 muffin cups until about 95% full. Place some blueberries on the top to have nice, blueberry filled muffin tops.
5. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
6. Test with a skewer, if the skewer comes out clean, the muffins are done! Remove and cool on the rack.
7. Best served warm, or you can save them for a day or two in an airtight container or freeze them.